Two real-life Lex Luthors took advantage of the elderly widow of the DC Comics publisher who brought Superman to news stands by convincing her to leave them large sums of cash from her $50 million estate, court papers charge.
When Shirley Liebowitz, the late widow of Jack Liebowitz, passed away at the age of 96 it was discovered that she had directed that 28 different wills be drafted over the years to dictate how her nearly $50 million estate should be distributed. Now, her estate is being disputed.
In recent court filings, her son is alleging that his share of the estate gradually lessened with each successive will.
The son is blaming Liebowitz's business manager and her lawyer who drafted the wills. The son claims they unduly influenced the widow to give themselves large shares of the estate.
The business manager and lawyer deny the son's allegations.
DNAinfo has the full story in "Widow of DC Comics Co-Founder Was Conned By Workers, Son Says."
The big issue here is that you should never leave a large portion of your estate to the person who drafts your will, without taking extra precautions. Period.
If someone else is upset with the terms of the will, a charge of undue influence against the drafter isinevitable. For that reason, it is vital to have a third-party attorney draft the will or at least offer advice about the will's terms.
At this stage it is impossible to know how this case will go. It will undoubtedly be a long time before Liebowitz's estate is finally settled.
To make sure your will has been done correctly, contact our office to schedule an appointment with one of our experienced attorneys.
Reference: DNAinfo (January 5, 2015) "Widow of DC Comic Co-Founder Was Conned by Workers, Son Says"